Advanced glycation endproduct-
Wikipedia - "AGEs affect nearly every type of
cell and molecule in the body, are thought to be major factors in aging and
age related chronic diseases. They are also believed to play a causative
role in the vascular complications of diabetes mellitus"

Cross-link Breakers and Inhibitors - International Anti-Aging Systems -
"It is now well established that the process of glycosylation is one of the
most important causes of ageing, perhaps equally as important as the process
of oxidation (free radical damage)"

Sugar Sag: Glycation and
the Role of Diet in Aging Skin - Medscape, 12/23/15 -
"First described in the context of diabetes, advanced
glycation end products (AGEs) are formed through a type of non-enzymatic
reaction called glycation. Increased accumulation of AGEs in human tissue has
now been associated with end stage renal disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease, and, recently, skin aging. Characteristic findings of aging skin,
including decreased resistance to mechanical stress, impaired wound healing, and
distorted dermal vasculature, can be in part attributable to glycation. Multiple
factors mediate cutaneous senescence, and these factors are generally
characterized as endogenous (e.g., telomere shortening) or exogenous (e.g.,
ultraviolet radiation exposure). Interestingly, AGEs exert their
pathophysiological effects from both endogenous and exogenous routes. The former
entails the consumption of sugar in the diet, which then covalently binds an
electron from a donor molecule to form an AGE. The latter process mostly refers
to the formation of AGEs through cooking. Recent studies have revealed that
certain methods of food preparation (i.e., grilling, frying, and roasting)
produce much higher levels of AGEs than water-based cooking methods such as
boiling and steaming"

New
study postulates the role of dietary advanced glycation end products in the
risk of Alzheimer's disease - Science Daily, 2/3/15 -
"meat made the highest contribution of AGEs,
followed by vegetable oils, cheese, and fish. Foods such as cereals/grains,
eggs, fruit, legumes, milk, nuts, starchy roots, and vegetables generally
make low contributions to the total amount of AGEs in a diet, either because
they are generally prepared at low temperatures or since they comprise
smaller portions of diets ... This epidemiological study supports our
previous findings in animals and humans of an important role for dietary
AGEs in Alzheimer's disease. We found that mice kept on a diet high in AGEs,
similar to Western diet, had high levels of AGEs in their brains together
with deposits of amyloid-β, a component of the plaques characteristic of
Alzheimer's disease, while at the same time developed declines in cognitive
and motor abilities. The mice fed a low AGE diet remained free of these
conditions. In addition, clinical studies have shown that subjects with
higher blood AGE levels, in turn resulting from high AGE diets, are more
likely to develop cognitive decline on follow up"

Effect of Dietary
Prebiotic Supplementation in Pre-diabetes - Medscape, 10/1/14 -
"Thirty adults with pre-diabetes (Impaired Glucose
Tolerance or Impaired Fasting Glucose) aged between 40–60 years will be
randomly assigned to receive either 10 grams of prebiotic (inulin/oligofructose)
daily or 10 grams placebo (maltodextrin) daily for 12 weeks ...
Supplementation of the diet with bifidogenic prebiotic fibres (such as
inulin) may reduce or retard the accumulation of AGEs in individuals at risk
of developing type 2 diabetes. Prebiotics have been shown to improve and
restore optimal microbial balance within the gastrointestinal tract,
potentially reducing AGE absorption and/or production by the human host.
Preliminary investigations indicate that consuming a high-AGE diet is
sufficient to favour the proliferation of potentially pathogenic colonic
bacteria over more beneficial species. Consumption of glycated proteins,[34]
fried meats[61] and toasted wheat flakes[62] encouraged the preferential
growth of greater numbers of detrimental gram negative and sulphate-reducing
colonic micro-organisms when compared to control diets. Short Chain Fatty
Acids (SCFAs) produced as a bacterial by-product of prebiotic fermentation
act to lower the intestinal pH, inhibiting the growth of protein-degrading
micro-organisms capable of producing potentially toxic metabolites. SCFAs
also stimulate colonic smooth muscle contractions, speeding intestinal
transit and limiting the time available for protein fermentation and
putrefaction to occur in the gut.[63] Therapeutic manipulation of the gut
microbiota with prebiotics may restore gut normobiosis and reduce AGE
accumulation in humans at risk for type 2 diabetes development by the
following mechanisms" - See
prebiotic supplements at Amazon.com.

Dietary
advanced glycation end products are associated with decline in memory in young
elderly - Mech Ageing Dev. 2014 Jul 15 - "We here
provide for the first time evidence in which high levels of dietary AGE (dAGE)
are associated with faster rate of decline in memory in 49 initially
non-demented young elderly (p=0.012 in mixed regression models adjusting for
sociodemographic and cardiovascular factors). Since modifying the levels of AGEs
in the diet may be relatively easy, these preliminary results suggest a simple
strategy to diminish cognitive compromise in the elderly and warrant further
investigation"

Life-long
endurance running is associated with reduced glycation and mechanical stress in
connective tissue - Age (Dordr). 2014 Aug;36(4):9665 -
"Life-long regular endurance runners (master athletes)
had a 21 % lower AGE cross-link density compared to old untrained. Furthermore,
both master athletes and young athletes displayed a thicker patellar tendon.
These cross-sectional data suggest that life-long regular endurance running can
partly counteract the aging process in connective tissue by reducing age-related
accumulation of AGEs. This may not only benefit skin and tendon but also other
long-lived protein tissues in the body. Furthermore, it appears that endurance
running yields tendon tissue hypertrophy that may serve to lower the stress on
the tendon and thereby reduce the risk of injury" - 21% of 60 years would
equate to 12.6 years younger.

Chemicals in 'Western' Diet Show Alzheimer's-Like Effects in Mice -
WebMD, 2/24/14 - "when they added the compounds --
called advanced glycation end products (AGEs) -- to the lifelong diets of
laboratory mice, the animals developed greater amounts of beta-amyloid in
the brain. Beta-amyloid is the protein that makes up the brain "plaques"
seen in people with Alzheimer's disease ... mice fed these compounds
developed more problems with movement and memory as they aged compared to
mice that spent their lives dining on chow that produced low levels of these
chemicals ... AGEs are naturally present in small amounts in the human body
... But you also ingest the compounds through food -- particularly animal
products prepared at a high heat ... That includes fried, grilled or broiled
meats, and dairy products that are pasteurized or sterilized"

Eating deep-fried food linked to increased risk of prostate cancer -
Science Daily, 1/28/13 - "men who reported eating
French fries, fried chicken, fried fish and/or doughnuts at least once a
week were at an increased risk of prostate cancer as compared to men who
said they ate such foods less than once a month ... In particular, men who
ate one or more of these foods at least weekly had an increased risk of
prostate cancer that ranged from 30 to 37 percent. Weekly consumption of
these foods was associated also with a slightly greater risk of more
aggressive prostate cancer ... Deep frying may trigger formation of
carcinogens in food ... Foods cooked with high heat also contain high levels
of advanced glycation endproducts, or AGEs, which have been associated with
chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. Deep-fried foods are among the
highest in AGE content. A chicken breast deep fried for 20 minutes contains
more than nine times the amount of AGEs as a chicken breast boiled for an
hour, for example"

Crusty foods may worsen heart problems associated with diabetes -
Science Daily, 10/22/12 - "We see evidence that
cooking methods that create a crust -- think the edge of a brownie or the
crispy borders of meats prepared at very high temperatures -- produce
advanced glycation end products (AGEs). And AGEs are associated with plaque
formation, the kind we see in cardiovascular disease ... people with higher
rates of cardiovascular complications ate more of these glycated products.
For each unit increase in AGEs intake, a study participant was 3.7 times
more likely to have moderate to high risk for cardiovascular disease ...
Boiling or stewing meat would reduce your AGEs intake further. And
scrambling an egg with cooking spray instead of frying it leads to a
significant reduction in AGEs"

Stop grilling dinner: Specific toxic byproduct of heat-processed food leads
to increased body weight and diabetes, mouse study finds - Science
Daily, 8/20/12 - "mice with sustained exposure to
the compound, methyl-glyoxal (MG), developed significant abdominal weight
gain, early insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes. MG is a type of
advanced glycation endproduct (AGEs), which is produced when food is cooked
with dry heat. AGEs have been found to lower the body's protective
mechanisms that control inflammation ... In the study, one group of mice was
fed a diet high in MG over four generations, while the control group was fed
a diet without MG ... Over four generations, the mice that ate the MG
started to develop early insulin resistance and increased body fat, whereas
the control group did not have either of these conditions. The researchers
found that MG caused a marked deficiency in protective mechanisms, such as
the survival factor SIRT1 that is present in fat and controls inflammation,
while enhancing the metabolism of glucose and insulin. The ingestion of MG
also adversely affected the activity of an important anti-AGE receptor
called AGER1, which protects SIRT1 and fights insulin resistance ...
clinical guidelines be revised to eliminate foods cooked using dry heat and
replace them with methods that use lower heat or lots of moisture (water) as
in stewing, poaching or steaming. Examples from the AGE-less diet include
stewed beef, chicken and fish instead of grilled meats"

AMD-like lesions delayed in mice fed lower glycemic index diet - Science
Daily, 11/14/11 - "The dietary glycemic index (DGI)
measures the rate at which glucose is delivered to the bloodstream after
consuming carbohydrates. Higher GI foods including white bread and white
potatoes trigger a rapid delivery of glucose that pushes the body to work
overtime to absorb, whereas lower GI foods, like whole grain bread and
fruits and vegetables, initiate a slower release of glucose that is more
easily processed by cells ... Compared to the mice on the lower GI diet,
mice on the higher GI diet demonstrated elevated accumulations of debris
known as advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in the whole retina,
particularly in the cells of the RPE. The RPE plays a crucial role in
maintaining vision and its dysfunction results in the gradual central vision
loss that is the hallmark of AMD. AGE accumulation has also been linked to
tissue damage in other age-related diseases such as Type 2 diabetes and
cardiovascular disease"

Inhibition of advanced glycation end-product formation on eye lens protein
by rutin - Br J Nutr. 2011 Aug 25:1-9 -
"Formation of advanced glycation end products (AGE) plays a key role in the
several pathophysiologies associated with ageing and diabetes, such as
arthritis, atherosclerosis, chronic renal insufficiency, Alzheimer's
disease, nephropathy, neuropathy and cataract. This raises the possibility
of inhibition of AGE formation as one of the approaches to prevent or arrest
the progression of diabetic complications. Previously, we have reported that
some common dietary sources such as fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices
have the potential to inhibit AGE formation. Flavonoids are abundantly found
in fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices, and rutin is one of the commonly
found dietary flavonols. In the present study, we have demonstrated the
antiglycating potential and mechanism of action of rutin using goat eye lens
proteins as model proteins. Under in vitro conditions, rutin inhibited
glycation as assessed by SDS-PAGE, AGE-fluorescence, boronate affinity
chromatography and immunodetection of specific AGE. Further, we provided
insight into the mechanism of inhibition of protein glycation that rutin not
only scavenges free-radicals directly but also chelates the metal ions by
forming complexes with them and thereby partly inhibiting post-Amadori
formation. These findings indicate the potential of rutin to prevent and/or
inhibit protein glycation and the prospects for controlling AGE-mediated
diabetic pathological conditions in vivo" - See
rutin at Amazon.com.

It's
not an apple a day after all -- it's strawberries: Flavonoids could
represent two-fisted assault on diabetes and nervous system disorders -
Science Daily, 6/27/11 - "fisetin, a
naturally-occurring flavonoid found most abundantly in strawberries and to a
lesser extent in other fruits and vegetables, lessens complications of
diabetes. Previously, the lab showed that fisetin promoted survival of
neurons grown in culture and enhanced memory in healthy mice ... Mice fed a
fisetin-enriched diet remained diabetic, but acute kidney enlargement-or
hypertrophy-seen in untreated mice was reversed, and high urine protein
levels, a sure sign of kidney disease, fell. Moreover, fisetin ingestion
ameliorated anxiety-related behaviors seen in diabetic mice ... blood and
brain levels of sugars affixed to proteins known as advanced glycation
end-products-or AGEs-were reduced in fisetin-treated compared to untreated
Akita mice. These decreases were accompanied by increased activity of the
enzyme glyoxalase 1, which promotes removal of toxic AGE precursors ...
substantial evidence implicates high blood AGE levels with many if not most
diabetic complications ... excessively high AGE levels also correlate with
inflammatory activity thought to promote some cancers. In fact, studies
published by others confirm that fisetin decreases tumorigenicity of
prostate cancer cells both in culture and in animal models ... humans would
have to eat 37 strawberries a day ... Rather than through diet, Maher
envisions that fisetin-like drugs could be taken as a supplement"

Inhibition of the receptor for advanced glycation endproducts (RAGE)
protects pancreatic β-cells - Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2010 Nov 24 -
"Advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) and the
receptor for AGEs (RAGE) have been linked to the pathogenesis of diabetic
complications, such as retinopathy, neuropathy, and nephropathy. AGEs may
induce β-cell dysfunction and apoptosis, another complication of diabetes
... Inhibition of RAGE prevented AGE-induced pancreatic β-cell apoptosis,
but could not restore the function of glucose stimulated insulin secretion
(GSIS) in rat islets. In summary, the results of the present study
demonstrate that AGEs are integrally involved in RAGE-mediated apoptosis and
impaired GSIS dysfunction in pancreatic β-cells. Inhibition of RAGE can
effectively protect β-cells against AGE-induced apoptosis, but can not
reverse islet dysfunction in GSIS"

Nutrition and aging skin: sugar and glycation - Clin Dermatol. 2010
Jul-Aug;28(4):409-11 - "The effect of sugars on
aging skin is governed by the simple act of covalently cross-linking two
collagen fibers, which renders both of them incapable of easy repair.
Glucose and fructose link the amino acids present in the collagen and
elastin that support the dermis, producing advanced glycation end products
or "AGEs." This process is accelerated in all body tissues when sugar is
elevated and is further stimulated by ultraviolet light in the skin. The
effect on vascular, renal, retinal, coronary, and cutaneous tissues is being
defined, as are methods of reducing the glycation load through careful diet
and use of supplements"

Advanced
Glycation End Products in Foods and a Practical Guide to Their Reduction in
the Diet - J Am Diet Assoc. 2010 Jun;110(6):911-916.e12 -
"Modern diets are largely heat-processed and as a
result contain high levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs).
Dietary advanced glycation end products (dAGEs) are known to contribute to
increased oxidant stress and inflammation, which are linked to the recent
epidemics of diabetes and cardiovascular disease ... Based on the findings,
dry heat promotes new dAGE formation by >10- to 100-fold above the uncooked
state across food categories. Animal-derived foods that are high in fat and
protein are generally AGE-rich and prone to new AGE formation during
cooking. In contrast, carbohydrate-rich foods such as vegetables, fruits,
whole grains, and milk contain relatively few AGEs, even after cooking. The
formation of new dAGEs during cooking was prevented by the AGE inhibitory
compound aminoguanidine and significantly reduced by cooking with moist
heat, using shorter cooking times, cooking at lower temperatures, and by use
of acidic ingredients such as lemon juice or vinegar"

When
It Comes To Living Longer, It's Better To Go Hungry Than Go Running, Mouse
Study Suggests - Science Daily, 5/14/08 - "at
least two studies which examined people who engage in high-volume exercise
versus people who restricted their calorie intake, had a similar outcome:
caloric restriction has physiological benefits that exercise alone does not
... One theory is that exercise places stress on the body, which can result
in damage to the tissues and DNA. Another theory is that caloric restriction
leads to physiological changes which benefit the body" - I still
think it boils down to the ravages of higher insulin and blood sugar which
increase advanced glycation end products a major cause of aging.

How
Diabetes Drives Atherosclerosis - WebMD, 3/13/08 -
"Abe's team showed that molecules called advanced
glycation end products (AGEs), produced in greater levels by patients with
diabetes, interfere with ERK5 cardioprotection. Glycation reactions cause
the release of oxidizing side products like hydrogen peroxide (H202) that
drive free radical production, inflammation and cell damage in many
diseases"
- I was always under the impression that it was advanced glycation end
products in the first place. I guess I was right before they discovered it.

Face
facts: Too much sugar causes wrinkles - MSNBC, 10/21/07 -
"At blame is a natural process that's known as
glycation, in which the sugar in your bloodstream attaches to proteins to
form harmful new molecules called advanced glycation end products (or,
appropriately, AGEs for short). The more sugar you eat, the more AGEs you
develop. "As AGEs accumulate, they damage adjacent proteins in a domino-like
fashion," ... Supplement your diet with at least 1 mg of vitamins B1 and B6
a day. These vitamins proved to be potent AGE inhibitors in a number of
published studies"

Cooking to Fight
Inflammation? - Dr. Weil, 7/12/07 - "You can
reduce your intake of AGEs by steaming or boiling foods or by making stews –
the key is to cook at low heat and to maintain the water content of food"

Advanced glycation endproducts: what is their relevance to diabetic
complications? - Diabetes Obes Metab. 2007 May;9(3):233-45 -
"AGEs may potentiate the development of diabetic
complications by activation of cell responses by AGE-modified proteins
interacting with specific cell surface receptors, activation of cell
responses by AGE free adducts, impairment of protein-protein and
enzyme-substrate interactions by AGE residue formation, and increasing
resistance to proteolysis of extracellular matrix proteins. The formation of
AGEs is suppressed by intensive glycaemic control, and may in future be
suppressed by thiamine and pyridoxamine supplementation, and several other
pharmacological agents"

Drug
Compound Restores Youth To Aging Arterial Cells In Elderly Hypertensives,
Hopkins Study Shows - Science Daily, 11/23/05 -
"alagebrium, formally known as ALT-711 or
4,5-dimethyl-3-(2-oxo-2-phenylethyl)-thiazolium chloride, reduced stiffening
in the vessel wall in the main artery of the neck (carotid artery) by as
much as 37 percent. The drug also improved endothelial function, the ability
of the vessels' inner lining to relax and dilate in response to increased
stress from blood flow, by 102 percent"

Eating Food Cooked At High Temperature Accelerates Aging - Life
Extension Magazine, 5/03 -
"consuming foods high in glycotoxins might be
responsible for the induction of a low-grade, but chronic state of
inflammation. In addition, the glycotoxins in food cooked at high
temperatures also promote the formation of glycotoxins in our living
tissues. The implication of these findings is profound ... Inflammatory
cytokine production can be suppressed with the proper supplementation of
fish oil, DHEA, vitamin K and nettle leaf extract ... It is also important
to avoid over consumption of foods high in arachidonic acid (beef, egg yolk,
dairy, etc.) ... Consuming at least 1000 mg a day of
carnosine, and/or 300 mg of the European drug aminoguanidine can inhibit
pathological glycation reactions in the body" - See
iHerb
carnosine products.

Vitamin C May Aid
People with Diabetes - New Hope Natural Media, 2/13/03 -
"Vitamin C inhibits all three of the biochemical
reactions that are believed to contribute to the development of these
complications: (1) the production of oxygen-derived free radicals, (2) the
accumulation of sorbitol within cells, and (3) a tissue-damaging reaction
called glycosylation" - [J.
Hypertension/Medline]-
See
iHerb
vitamin C products.

Preserving Clear Vision - Life Extension Magazine, 2/03 -
"It is likely that glycation plays a role in aging in non-diabetics as well,
especially those who eat diets high in sugars and refined carbohydrates or
those who have blood sugars higher than normal but not high enough to merit
a diabetes diagnosis ...
Carnosine's
best-known effect, however, is its ability to prevent the formation of
advanced glycated end products (protein crosslinks). Carnosine competes with
proteins for the binding sites they would occupy on sugar molecules, making
it the best glycation preventative currently recognized in the world of
nutrition research"
- See
iHerb
carnosine products.

The Anti-Aging Effects of Carnosine - Life Extension Magazine, 1/03 -
"Carnosine quenches
the most destructive protein-oxidizing agent (the hydroxyl radical). One
study showed carnosine was the only antioxidant to significantly protect
cellular chromosomes from oxidative damage.2 Antioxidants cannot completely
protect proteins. Nature's second line of defense is to repair or remove
damaged proteins.3 This is where carnosine demonstrates its most profound
anti-aging effect ... Studies show that carnosine is effective against
cross-linking and the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGE).6,7
Glycated proteins produce 50-fold more free radicals than nonglycated
proteins and carnosine may be the most effective anti-glycating agent known"
- See
iHerb
carnosine products.

High-Heat Foods Could Be Bad For You - CBS News, 11/28/02 -
"browned, crispy foods, like that Thanksgiving
turkey you just ate, are loaded with proteins called AGEs which interact
with sugar in the body to cause hardening of the arteries ... AGEs are
deposited everywhere over time — in the kidneys, in the vessels of the eyes
and they have been implicated in all of these major complications from
diabetes"

Three Of 12 Patients Taking Pyridorin (Pyridoxamine Dihydrochloride) Convert
From Macro- To Microalbuminuria - Doctor's Guide, 11/3/02 -
"all dose levels of Pyridorin were well tolerated,
with no serious adverse events reported and no discontinuations due to an
adverse event ... Patients taking Pyridorin experienced an average decrease
from baseline 24-hour urinary albumin excretion of 32 percent at day 45"
- Sounds like Pyridorin by
BioStratum is a
competitor to pimagedine by
Alteon. Pyridorin and pimagedine are advanced glycation end product
(AGE) inhibitors Alteon is also working on ALT-711, which is an advanced
glycation end product (AGE) reverser. Carnosine
and acetyl-l-carnitine are supplements believed to
be advanced glycation end product (AGE) inhibitors. - Ben

What constitutes a glycation-reduced diet? - Life Extension Magazine,
11/01 -
"Glycation of proteins has been shown to play a
prominent role in the development of many diseases related to diabetes,
atherosclerosis and cataract formation. Glycation also occurs as a result of
general aging. A glycation reduction diet would be one that is low in simple
sugars and carbohydrates. There are also certain supplements that help
reduce glycation, such as carnosine.
Carnosine is the most effective natural anti-glycating agent ... Other
supplements include
alpha lipoic acid,
chromium picolinate and calcium pyruvate"

Alteon's ALT-711 Found to 'Remodel' Cardiovascular System in Preclinical
Study - Alteon, 9/24/01 -
"released results of a new preclinical study that
demonstrated the ability of ALT-711 to decrease the thickening of the heart
that may occur as a result of hypertension, and to improve the function of
the endothelium ... ALT-711 normalized left ventricular fibrosis, or the
thickening of the left ventrical of the heart, and improved the function of
the endothelium, the part of the cardiovascular system that regulates both
the relaxation and contraction of blood vessels and contributes to the
maintenance of the vascular structure. The authors suggest that ALT-711 may
be effective for improving cardiovascular remodeling in hypertension"

AGE Breakers - Life Extension Magazine, 8/01 -
"If ALT-711 is ever approved by the FDA, it will enable aging humans to
reverse the effects of glycation, one of the most devastating consequences
of aging"

Aminoguanidine:
AGE Inhibitor - Phil Micans PharmB/IAS -
"the membrane surface area of the rats was reduced
by 30%. Furthermore, the collagen content of their arterial walls was
increased by 24-30%. Aminoguanidine is therefore acting to improve overall
heart and arterial condition and not just by preventing or slowing proteins
from cross-linking, but also by decreasing the AGE-induced cross-linking of
the extra-cellular matrix ... 11 patients with peripheral vascular disease
were treated with aminoguanidine. Their blood vessels were so clogged that
they couldn't walk for more than 500 yards. But after treatment with
aminoguanadine the patients blood flow improved on average by 30% and the
patients exercise abilities improved by 50% to 105%."

Carnosine Nature's pluripotent life extension agent - Life Extension
Magazine, 1/01 -
"Carnosine distinctly improved the appearance of the
aged mice, whose coat fullness and color remained much closer to that of
young animals. Significantly more carnosine-treated mice had glossy coats
(44% vs. 5%), while significantly fewer had skin ulcers (14% vs. 36%) . . .
.The sharpest contrast between the treated and untreated mice was seen in
their behavior. Only 9% of the untreated mice displayed normal behavioral
reactivity, compared to 58% of the carnosine treated mice."

Staying Young Forever, Putting new research findings into practice -
Life Extension Foundation, 12/99 -
"The formation of AGE happens in everyone and is a
major factor in the aging process itself. These damaged proteins may lead to
premature signs of aging (wrinkles and brown spots) and in the long run to
damaging effects on most organ systems within the body . . . The amino acid
carnosine is a natural AGE inhibitor found in high concentrations in the
brain, muscle tissue and the lens of the human eye. It is also known to be
an antioxidant capable of protecting cell membranes and other cell
structures. In vitro studies demonstrated that carnosine inhibits
glycosylation and crosslinking of proteins induced by reactive aldehydes,
and that it is effective in reducing AGE formation by competing with
proteins for binding with the sugars. The authors suggest that this nontoxic
compound should be explored in the treatment of such conditions as diabetic
complications, inflammatory disorders, alcoholic liver disease and possibly
Alzheimer's disease."

Arginine
for Muscles, Memory, Sex and More - Life Enhancement Magazine, 12/99 -
"Free arginine has
been shown to help prevent a destructive process known as cross-linking,
which is associated with accelerated aging. Excessive cross-linking
reactions inevitably damage the kidneys, necessitating dialysis in advanced
age"

Lower AGE
with Acetyl L-Carnitine - Life Enhancement Magazine, 8/99 -
"Diabetics and others who become susceptible to high
levels of glucose in blood serum as they age suffer from the formation of
deleterious hybrid protein-sugar complexes known as advanced glycation end
products (AGE) ... ALC decreased the glycation by
42%"

Business and Science Unite to Fight Aging - Life Extension Magazine,
10/98 -
"One feature of aging and of diabetes is increased
stiffness of blood vessels, such as the carotid artery in the neck. Egan
showed that in rats, the distensibility of the carotid artery falls by more
than 50 percent between 24 and 30 months of age in control animals, but
falls by less than 7 percent in animals that received 50 mg/kg of Pimagedine
in their drinking water. Further, over the same age interval, the rat
heart-weight-to-body-weight ratio rose by about 50 percent in control
animals, indicating heart failure; but the same ratio rose by less than
about 7 percent in animals treated with Pimagedine. Pimagedine also
normalized left ventricular stiffness and the amount of sugar attached to
collagen (connective tissue protein). These are huge anti-aging effects.

But as good as Pimagedine is, ALT-711 may be a great deal better. ALT-711 is
something called an "alpha dione cleaving agent." While Pimagedine prevents
permanent glucose-protein crosslinks from forming, ALT-711 reverses
glucose-protein crosslinks after they have formed. Still better, ALT-711
acts like an artificial enzyme, breaking crosslink after crosslink without
itself being consumed in the reaction. It is as if ALT-711 were a "reverse
free radical," setting up a chain reaction of positive, rather than
negative, chemical reactions.""

Advanced Glycation End
Products - DrMirkin.com -
"cooking proteins with sugars in the absence of
water/ forms advanced glycation products that can damage tissues in the body
... The frightening new news is that eating foods with these advanced
glycation products raises blood and tissue levels and increases nerve
damage"